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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27215053">Black and White like Piano Keys.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Disincanto294/pseuds/Disincanto294'>Disincanto294</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff and Smut, Graphic Description, Loss of Virginity, Smut</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:33:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,518</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27215053</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Disincanto294/pseuds/Disincanto294</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>She had been playing the piano, losing herself in the music and in the sadness of her heart, when he came to her.<br/>One precious night together and everything changes.<br/>A tale of understanding and forgiveness; a tale of healing.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hermione Granger/Severus Snape</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>189</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Black and White like Piano Keys.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p>She had learned to play the piano when she was young. And alone. Her parents had decided that learning something new could have helped her become more self-confident and even make new friends. As it were, her self-confidence never increased that much, and she didn’t make any new friend. She had had to wait to be saved from a giant troll to make friends… not one but two. Harry and Ron that day had become her everything. For them she had even stopped going home for the Christmas holidays when, at least for a couple of days, she would usually take her piano lessons. Eventually, she had had to give up on them altogether in order to stay close to Harry and fight Voldemort beside him. Thankfully, she was a natural. Even when she went months without caressing a key, her mind and heart and fingers would immediately find themselves when she seated herself in front of a piano.</p><p>And that’s exactly what happened after the war when she moved to Grimmauld Place. Her piano was her best friend as much as her books were. She loved playing. She loved the feeling of losing herself in the music and then find herself again and again. Her mind would wander to amazing places while her fingers stayed there, creating art. Her heart would blossom and heal her wounds; and the war had left her pretty scarred. Not only her, everyone. </p><p>Months had passed and they were still recovering, both physically and emotionally. Harry was staying at the Burrow with the Weasley family, nurturing her love for Ginny and helping her and Ron recover. What wasn’t clear to them was that they would never completely heal. Fred had died. Not only him, also Lupin and Tonks; and so many others. Ron, the entire Weasley family really, was a wreck and she could understand them of course. She had loved Fred as a brother and his death had hurt her deeply. But she couldn’t stay with them. She had her loved ones to mourn. Her parents didn’t have any memory of her. She had gone back to Australia in order to undo the Memory Charm she had put on them to keep them safe before the war, but she hadn’t been able. They didn’t remember her. She was a stranger to her own parents. She missed them and it hurt like hell. And she hadn’t had the courage to tell Harry and Ron what she had done. She didn’t really know why but she hadn’t told them. Only one person knew about it and in his own strange way, he had helped her. Severus Snape had snarled at her, listened to her cries, and then cradled her. She had cried herself to sleep and found herself safely in bed the following morning. He was an unlikely partner, but a good one nonetheless.</p><p>Professor Snape had been bitten by Nagini and his recovering had not yet ended. His home at Spinner’s End had been burnt down by Death Eaters so, after his release from San Mungo’s, Harry had just taken him to the former Order Headquarters. The older wizard hadn’t been in a position to object since, because of his wounds, he couldn’t stay alone. Furthermore, many people still wanted him dead and for this reason, he needed a safe place to stay. Another problem, probably the worst one, was that because his trial had still to be carried out, Snape was technically still a criminal. Harry, Ron and Hermione with other Order members had decided to testify in the courtroom on his behalf. They knew how much he had done for the cause.</p><p>That’s how she came to share the house with her former Professor, and that’s how she came to like him. A lot. She had not paid him any mind at first but then she had started noticing him. The way he would silently move around the house, usually clad in his black trousers and coat, even if sometimes he would surprise her by just waring a well-tailored white shirt, a stark contrast to the blackness of his eyes and hair. The way he would stay behind the kitchen counter cooking breakfast or putting together a quick lunch, or how he casually crossed his lean legs when he read in his favourite armchair. Every movement was simple and effective. He was mesmerising. And his voice… she loved his deep voice. It had started like that, as a harmless noticing of movements and habits. Now her throat would go dry in his presence and he would smirk knowingly. She knew he was aware of her crush, but he did nothing nor said a word about it. It seemed as though he was enjoying himself seeing her discomfort.</p><p>One night in late November however, something changed.</p><p>She was cold and she couldn’t sleep so she made hot cocoa and then lit the fire in the drawing room. It was raining hard and it took some time for the cold in her bones to go away. She had so many things on her mind that it hurt badly. She missed Harry and Ron, their casual chatter and the way they would just say silly things and make her laugh. She seldom laughed those days. Everything was too much and she was alone. She just didn’t feel like going to Snape and simply tell him all of her secrets, all that bothered her and made her cry at night. She couldn’t.</p><p>Her eyes wandered to the piano whose black surface was shiny thanks to the light from the roaring fire in the hearth. She wanted to play, to press those keys and make art. She wanted to let go of her emotions and free herself of them. She placed the mug on the small table near the couch and went over to the instrument. She softly caressed the keys and closed her eyes. A beautiful music she had thought long forgotten came to mind and her fingers began to play to the rhythm of her intense emotions. She thought of her years at Hogwarts as a young Gryffindor so keen on learning and show the others she was a true witch, no matter her Muggle heritage. She mulled over Harry, Ron and their friendship, over the way they had lately distanced themselves from her and she from them. She recalled her days with her parents spent camping or at the theatre, reading by the fire or cuddling with her mum. And she mused over her soft feelings for her Professor, how he had treated her and listened to her.</p><p>She silently cried, tears staining her cheeks, but her fingers never stopped moving. She could feel an intense pain in her guts but at the same a deep feeling of freedom swell her entire body. The music came to an end and she breathed deeply before smiling softly.</p><p>“I didn't know you could play.” An intense voice said behind her. A soft gasp escaped her lips and she twirled around in her seat.</p><p>“Professor!” she exclaimed and quickly dried the tears in her face. “How long have you been here?” She was embarrassed. He had already seen her crying and once was enough, she didn’t need him to think she was whiny. Even more, she didn’t usually play with an audience. She liked to play for herself; it was a defence mechanism, not really a hobby.</p><p>“Long enough to be able to say you can play well.” He stated looking at her. He was sprawled on the couch, an arm lazily thrown on its backrest while with the other hand he held a tumbler of amber liquid. The fine white shirt he was wearing hung perfectly on his frame and the fireplace illuminated his sharp features. He was a sight. And he didn’t look at all like a man who had nearly died just a couple of months ago, or who was in such pain to require the consumption of ten different types of potions.</p><p>“Thank you.” Hermione replied softly, her eyes downcast and her cheeks lightly coloured. He had never complimented her and in all her school years she had always dreamt about her work being acknowledged by the dour Potions Master. “I hadn't played in a while.”</p><p>“So why were you crying?” he asked and a moment later he was standing and walking toward her. He sat next to her at the piano bench and she had to breathe deeply in order to still her quivering heart and hands. He was so close.</p><p>“I err… well you know me. I was thinking about things…” she replied in a small voice. “The war, Harry and Ron, my parents… and my mind just got carried away.”</p><p>He seemed to be pondering his answer and Hermione watched as his fingers went to graze over his lips. They were full and so lascivious in a sort of way her mind couldn’t explain. She quickly diverted her eyes and concentrated on his words.</p><p>“As much as I don’t like them Granger, I think it best you talk to those two dunderheads about what happened to your parents.” He explained then averted his eyes as if unsure of what he was saying. “And talking about your parents, if I don’t end up in Azkaban I could help you try restore their memories. If you want my help, that is.”</p><p>She regarded him for a few seconds, her mind spinning violently and her emotions out of her grasp. Then she just threw her arms around him, her happiness so strong she wasn’t able to control it. She couldn’t believe he had offered his help. She had lost her hope long before and thinking about being able to bring their parents’ memories back made her gasp with excitement. He felt Snape stiffen but she didn’t pay it any mind.</p><p>“Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she cried out squeezing him. “Of course I want it!”</p><p>“Easy girl!” he said in a low voice caressing gently her arms until she put them down. There was an awkward silence in which they regarded each other without saying anything, then the wizard cleared his throat. “Let me hear something else.”</p><p>Hermione briefly closed her eyes and thought about what she was feeling in that moment. All the love she had for her parents came forward and she poured it all on the piano keys. Music started enveloping the room and all the tension she had sensed escaped her, bringing her joy. Suddenly, low keys dipped next to her and she saw her Professor giving her a so small smile while playing together with her. She was at first startled but then carried on playing her music together with that man who kept astonishing her.</p><p>“I didn't know you could play too!” she exclaimed after they had finished their performance.</p><p>“I do in fact.”</p><p>“When did you learn?” she curiously asked but he didn’t answer immediately, pondering his answer.</p><p>“Lily’s mum taught me at first. They had a piano, and she was very good at it.” He said, and a distant look grazed his eyes. She had never heard him talk about his past or about Lily and something akin to sadness overtook her. “For a few years I stopped playing, then after I had got the job at Hogwarts I was able to purchase a piano and studied on my own.”</p><p>“You are quite good yourself; you know.” She said smiling but he just scowled at her. “Play something for me?”</p><p>He watched her closely and for a moment he looked unsure of himself and shy. She had never seen him like that. He had always been so sure of what he did, showing off his self-confidence. He had been so forebidding and yet there, sitting next to her, it was like any other of her friends. He then turned to the keys and started playing something. He really was good and it was amazing to think that he had studied all of that on his own. His music was sad and heart-shattering, and it made her feel like she was intruding on his feelings. Those low notes gave her goosebumps and her heart ached at the thought of what was probably passing through his mind.</p><p>When he finished, he didn’t immediately look at her, but when he did his eyes were so deep and fathomless her breath hitched. His hand went to move a strand of hair, which had fallen before her eyes, away from her face. She held her breath when his warm fingers touched her cheek and she shivered when they tentatively caressed her skin.</p><p>“Are you afraid of me?”</p><p>“No.” she murmured with half-lidded eyes.</p><p>“You are trembling.” He stated matter-of-factly while still caressing her cheek.</p><p>“I'm not afraid.” Hermione said, and it was true. She wasn’t afraid of him, not anymore. He had her on edge for a different reason altogether and while that reason scared the hell out of her, at the same time she wanted to sail on her emotions and experience them. She had never seen him like that and she liked this different side of him, his way of being both firm and affable at the same time. She was attracted to him; and he knew it.</p><p>“Then what is it?” he asked trailing his fingertips along her lips; she trembled. “Tell me. I want to hear you say it.” His voice was deep and commanding and she felt herself speaking her mind without hesitation.</p><p>“Pleasure. Desire.”</p><p>“Desire about what?” His touch against her mouth was tantalising yet gentle and shy, like he wanted more but wasn’t sure what her response could be. But her body was on fire and her mind was spinning while her heart beat harder and faster. She wanted him, she knew that; in her mind it felt so wrong and yet she wanted it. She wanted him.</p><p>“I don't know.”</p><p>“I think you know fairly well.”</p><p>His hand left her mouth and was hesitantly replaced by his lips. They brushed hers slowly at first, then with more force. She gasped when she felt the tip of his tongue ask permission to enter, but she accepted it. She accepted him. She fastened her hands among his hair, keeping his head in place and deepening the kiss while his fingers trailed down the sides of her chest.</p><p>“You.” She breathed, her eyes closed, just an inch away from him. She could still feel the warmth of his breath tinged by the smell of alcohol.</p><p>“You desire me, and yet you are afraid.” He whispered nuzzling the side of her neck with his prominent nose.</p><p>“I'm not afraid of you.”</p><p>“No.” he replied before clarifying. “You are afraid of what you don't know, and you clearly know nothing about this.”</p><p>And he was right. She had never experienced something like that, never desired a man like she desired him. Nor Viktor, nor Ron, had made her feel so over the edge. In the past she had tried once with Ron, but she couldn’t feel that spark she was now experiencing with Snape. She had rejected him, effectively throwing him away from herself and escaping the bedroom. She had deeply hurt him and she knew that, but at the time she hadn’t felt ready for that, for him. He wasn’t the one.</p><p>“I don't.” she confessed in a whisper and her cheeks tinged with a nice shade of pink. She was embarrassed that he had immediately understood she was a virgin, but she couldn’t keep it from him.</p><p>Snape calmly regarded her, his hand caressing again her cheek, before nodding.</p><p>“I can stop now if you want. Hell, I should probably stop before it's too late.”</p><p>At hearing those words a small surge of panic moved her to grab his hand at keep it there on her skin. She wanted him and didn’t want him to back away. She wanted to lose herself and to do it with him.</p><p>“What if I want it?”</p><p>“What if you regret it then?” he countered, trailing his other hand up one leg, from her knee to her thigh. “I am old enough to be your father, I have been your Professor for years and I have never treated you well.” The wizard said drawing small circles on her skin. Only then Hermione realised she was wearing only a very big and tattered jumper she had borrowed from Ron months before. His fingers were warm and where they passed her skin tingled sending thrills directly to her core.</p><p>“What if I don’t care? You speak like you don’t want it and yet… and yet your hands say the contrary.”</p><p>She said moving nearer him and trapping his hand between her thighs. Snape’s eyes were dark and clouded and he swallowed hard when Hermione’s lips brushed against the puckered scar on his neck, the one left by Nagini. The young witch lightly kissed the scarred tissue, feeling the rough texture and imagining it was the man’s cock instead. The slightly raised edges of the wound like the thick veins in his erect shaft.</p><p>“Do you really think I don’t want it?” Snape asked and, as if reading her mind, his hand grabbed hers and brought it to touch his clothes covered erection, brushing it lightly. “I assure you, girl, that I want you.”</p><p>It was hard and hot, and she squirmed in her seat while her fingers massaged it. Their eyes locked together for a moment but then she had to close them when the man moaned in her ear. The sound, so throaty and intense, was utterly sinful and sent sparks all over her body. He bit down on her neck and her thighs closed more forcefully around his hand while her fingers squeezed his cock harder. Suddenly the wizard shot from the bench and taking her hand he brought her to sit on the couch.</p><p>“Stop teasing.” He clearly enunciated before attacking her neck.</p><p>His hands found the hem of her jumper and went beneath, lightly caressing her smooth skin and trailing up towards her breasts. He took it off revealing her chest with her small perky breasts and gently palmed one of them. Hermione was shy by nature but in that moment with him, she didn’t care about her imperfections or the fact that she was bare, save for her dark blue knickers, in front of a man. She loved the way his eyes sparked at the sight of her small breasts and how he licked his lips before kissing her gently on the mouth. She was flushed and so keen on being touched by that man.</p><p>She moaned in his mouth when their tongues met and their kiss deepened. His ministrations on her nipples made her whimper and cry but she wanted more. She needed to feel his body against hers, his alabaster skin to kiss hers and their warmth to mingle in one.</p><p>“I want to see you.” She said interrupting their kiss, her lips between her teeth, and scratching his head at the base of his neck. “To feel you.”</p><p>He regarded her intently then averted his eyes and for a moment to Hermione he looked uncomfortable, once more unsure of himself. She knew he was older than her, he probably was reaching his forties, but she really didn’t care about it. She wasn’t a little girl anymore and she definitely was past this sort of things. There were aspects more important than looks and besides, she had never been one to drool over biceps and six-packs. She valued intelligence, wit and courage. The witch gently caressed his covered chest and Snape looked back at her; his brow furrowed.</p><p>“Are you sure?” he asked hesitantly moving a little away from her.</p><p>“Of course, why?”</p><p>“I’m not – I – I am not a boy anymore and thus you could find my body not very agreeable.” He stammered looking away again. She felt a pang in her heart and reached for him.</p><p>“Let me.” Hermione asked him with a soft smile on her lips, beginning to unbutton his white shirt. “It’s only fair since you already have me more than half-naked in front of you.” At that he smirked and fondled her breast, pinching her right nipples and eliciting a moan from her. “Oh! Stop it, Severus!” she cried letting his name escape her lips.</p><p>He immediately looked at her startled, but then his eyes softened, and some of the lines of worry left his face. He put a gentle kiss at the top of her head and enabled her to take his shirt off and finally bare his chest to her eyes. He was lean and scarred and oh so beautiful with his alabaster skin a stark contrast to his obsidian eyes and hair. He was in good shape, if maybe a bit underweight. That line of fine hairs which went from his navel downwards, disappearing at the waistband of his trousers, was utterly tantalising. She had to swallow the lump in her throat. She wanted him badly.</p><p>She didn’t speak her mind, only observed him, her eyes drinking in his beauty. Because beautiful he was, and she could never have imagined he hide such a body under all of those buttons. She traced the lines of his torso with her fingertips, then the taut muscles in his back which tensed at her inspection. He had so many scars and she briefly wondered how he had acquired them. When Hermione kissed the tender skin of his torso, he shivered and closed his eyes. A blissful expression on his face. She covered his chest in kisses until she reached his trousers and looked up.</p><p>“May I?” she asked, a tinge of colour in her cheeks marking her shyness.</p><p>“Only if you want.” He said opening his eyes just a crack. He was unsure and yet so abandoned and she knew he wanted it but for some reason was afraid. Like she had been at first when he had suggested she acted on her desires.</p><p>“I do.” She breathed slowly unzipping his trousers. He wasn’t wearing undergarments and his cock sprang free. It was beautiful with its thick head and coloured veins and she longed to wrap her fingers and mouth around it. Hermione softly caressed his length, moving up and down and encircling the glans. When she kissed it and touched it with her tongue, his breath shook, and he had to inhale deeply in order to keep himself in check. “You smell good…” she told him licking his shaft and engulfing his head while with her hands she fondled his balls. “And taste better.”</p><p>“You will be the death of me!” he snarled yanking her from his body and laying her on her back on the couch which, with a flick of his wand, widened to accommodate them both.</p><p>Her nipples brushed his chest and she shivered at the contact, loving the way he could elicit such pleasure in her effortlessly. He dipped his head down and completely slammed his mouth on hers, sucking and nibbling on her lower lip like a wild animal. She was inebriated by him, by the feeling of his tongue and the movements of his hands on her body. She wanted more and more and it felt like she could never get enough of him. Then, he savoured her nipples enveloping them in his hot mouth, before travelling down.</p><p>He stopped when he reached her knickers, his hands on each side of her hips, and a questioning look in his eyes. He looked at her with his impossible dark eyes before taking her knickers down in a swift motion. There, Hermione was completely naked in front of him; her hair a fan spread out on the cushion. She instinctively closed her legs, hiding her femininity. Severus contemplated her for a moment, focusing on her lips then her breasts, then her mound. He placed a soft kiss on her mons and whispered an incantation, a contraceptive of some sort probably. Then he carefully opened her thighs showing her sex in all her glory. She was glistening and he licked his lips. He descended on her, inhaling deeply her scent, and kissed her nether lips making her moan. His tongue darted out tasting her for the first time and savouring her sweet flavour. She squirmed under his ministrations seizing his long dark locks between her hands and pulling. His talented tongue lapped at her entrance caressing her, teasing her, seducing her. With his fingers the wizard pinched her clit and revealed its hood licking it, sucking it between his lips, without ever stopping the movement of his tongue.</p><p>“Please!” Hermione pleaded moaning loudly and tugging at his hair. She was nearing her orgasm and she couldn’t wait to experience it. “Please, Severus!”</p><p>The man doubled his efforts and she soon came apart on his tongue, her cries and pleas music to his ears. He watched her flushed face, her half-lidded eyes and the way her body arched from the mattress. He drank her juices and let her come to herself, her breath ragged. Severus climbed up her body and enclosed her in his arms, rocking her and softly kissing her lips, letting her savour her flavour from his tongue in a gentle brush.</p><p>“You are beautiful when you are all flushed, do you know that?” he asked and cupped her face with his hands. Her cheeks became even pinker and her blush spread all over her neck reaching her perky breasts.</p><p>He was above her, his elbows at either side of her head, with his hard length at her entrance. She gasped and moaned at the sensation on her overly sensitive sex, but at the same time her mind was spinning. She was going to lose her virginity, to Professor Snape. <em>To Severus.</em> She wanted it, wanted him, but she couldn’t stop thinking about how painful it would be to have him inside her. She was nervous and anxious about it and he sensed it in her body’s sudden stillness and in the utter worry which had clouded her eyes.</p><p>“Please, go… just – just, go slow; if you can, that is.” She stammered with pleading eyes.</p><p>The wizard, who was nestled between her thighs, regarded her with an affectionate look before caressing her cheek and lowering his face to the crook of her neck. He planted soft kisses there, moving the tip of his cock around her entrance and smearing her wetness, before looking at her once more. He leaned forward slowly, pressing against her, advancing inside her an inch at a time, always checking her face for any sign of discomfort. Hermione’s face was contorted in a grimace and he stopped to caress again the side of her face, her hips and her breasts, soothing her, letting her relax.</p><p>“Breathe, Hermione.” He whispered with a calm voice. “Steady your breath, your mind, your heart. I am here with you, and I want you.”</p><p>Everything hurt, but the way he murmured his words and the shocking feeling of being with him, made her relax a fraction. He wanted her and her heart swell at those words. She wanted him so badly. Severus moved forward a fraction and her body accepted his more easily, opening for him. With a grunt he seated himself and then stopped again. He was breathing deeply with the effort of going slow, but a soft smile played on his lips and she smiled too. Her body was getting accustomed to his presence and she found herself wanting more.</p><p>She brought her trembling hand to his face lowering it so that his deep eyes were fastened to hers and kissed him softly on the lips, eliciting a loud gasp from him. She carefully moved her pelvis, urging Severus to go on and he obliged. His rhythm was slow and intense with long and deep thrusts which made her shiver under him. The feeling of him sheathed in her was breathtaking and frighteningly awesome. It made her gasp in a delicious way, igniting fire in her and sending her mind in a thick haze. She could not think, only the sensations she felt; the urgent need to bask in the amazing feeling of him, in that deep pleasure that was engulfing her making her cry and want even more.</p><p>The young witch knew she was nearing the end and would very soon find her orgasm. The second one. She had never felt herself so happy, so beautiful and powerful at the same time. She loved the look of pure bliss he had on his face, his hot breath on her lips and the way his sharp hipbones would dig on her sides. He filled her perfectly. When he felt her crump around him, he attacked her thrusting even faster into her, breaking her. She felt herself surround to the pleasure Severus bestowed on her, screaming his name, seizing his shoulders in a tight grip, leaving nail marks on his skin.</p><p>“Come for me, Hermione.” He breathed keeping his trusts at a steady rhythm. “Come for me, you beautiful witch.”</p><p>And she did. Hermione came with such a brutal force that Severus had to clench his teeth in order to keep his pace. Her climax shot through her like a fire burning her down, making her shiver convulsively. She cried and clutch at him with dear life, her anchor to that world. He came a moment later, all grunts and low shouts, pulsing inside her sheath. She smiled and hugged him, connecting their breaths and thunders of their hearts. They were beating so fast. When Severus regained consciousness, he pulled Hermione to his chest nesting her head under his chin and keeping her enclosed between his arms. A tangle of limbs and sweat and the sweet smell of their sex.</p><p>She was so peaceful with him, like she had never felt with anyone but her parents. It was that kind of peace and sense of protection she hadn’t felt in years, not since beginning to realise how approaching the war was. With him she was safe, and it was strange to think something like that when all she had felt for years in the presence of that man was fear. She had changed a lot and he had changed as well. She relaxed completely in his embrace, loving the feeling of him, and drifted off to sleep dozing lightly.</p><p>Sometime later, Hermione woke up with the feeling of light touches on her unruly hair and raised her head. Severus was looking at her, his gaze intense, while he played with her locks. Shifting on the couch, in order to see him better, she gasped at the soreness between her thighs.</p><p>“Are you sore?”</p><p>“Just a little bit.” Hermione answered smiling at him.</p><p>“I didn't want to hurt you.” He said, his voice apologetic. “I'm sorry. Let me just Accio some potions.” He reached out for his wand, but she put a hand on his arm, stopping him.</p><p>“No Severus, it's fine really. I'm not in pain and you definitely didn't hurt me.” Hermione assured him, reading fear and displeasure in his eyes. “I liked it, I enjoyed it a lot. Thank you, for doing it with me.”</p><p>“I liked it too. How could I not?”</p><p>“Well...”</p><p>“You are beautiful, Hermione.” The wizard told her, caressing her cheek. “And no matter how snarky I am to you, I like you. I shouldn't have done it, I am aware of it, but I wanted it.” His eyes were earnest, and she had no doubts about the truthfulness of his words. “I wanted you.”</p><p>“It's not wrong. I'm of age and you're not my Professor anymore.”</p><p>“Yet, I'm still old enough to be your father. I have watched over you since you were a slip of a girl, and I'm still considered a criminal. You know, it's a bit creepy if you think about it.”</p><p>It was indeed weird if you thought about it that way, but she really didn’t care; not when she felt so well she didn’t want to leave his arms. She didn’t regret it and if she had to be honest with herself, she wanted to be with this man again and again. He had always been so harsh to her, but there he had made her feel special and loved. He had listened to her needs and help her release them. He hadn’t hurt her but treated her with the utmost regard. Like he really did care for her.</p><p>“I don't care. I really don't care. And I don't want this soreness to go away anytime soon because it reminds me of what we just did together.” She was fierce in her declaration and the important thing was that she really meant it. Severus Snape was there with her when everyone had refused to.</p><p>“You are special.” Her former Professor whispered kissing softly first one cheek then the other. Her heart fluttered and swelled with something she had never really felt.</p><p>“So are you.”</p><p>“Tsk.” He muttered with disdain, then pulling away just a little.</p><p>“I said so are you, Severus.” She repeated with a serious look, and she totally meant it.</p><p>They stayed like that for some time, enjoying each other’s warmth and pondering their situation. It was weird but at the same time it felt right. It was like getting together with the other after so long, even though they had never really known each other that much. She certainly didn’t know much about him, but she didn’t care. The man had shown so much of himself in that brief encounter that she felt she didn’t need to know much more. He had opened up, showing his emotions which had been bottled up for so long, and let himself be. Harry had shared some of Severu’s memories with her and she was aware he had had a very difficult and lonely life. In a sort of way, she wanted to make up for that. They had made his life even tougher and this was her way to say she was sorry. But then again, when he had come to her, it had felt like he genuinely wanted her, to have sex with her. However, he had never shown any interest in her. He would just smirk knowingly when catching her eye at the kitchen table or when passing through the hall. She could never have understood he wanted her. Or perhaps, he just refused to act on his needs…or feelings.</p><p>“How did you know I was a virgin?” She suddenly asked breaking the comfortable silence.</p><p>“I didn't.”</p><p>“Oh? The way you talked... I thought you did.” She said putting her weight on her elbow and lifting herself in order to see him better. He was a sight even after the sex, with his long pale limbs sprawled on the dark fabric of the couch.</p><p>“I didn't. I had doubts, but I had no way of knowing it for sure. If I had been, I would probably not have tried anything with you.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“You deserved better for your first time;” he replied thoughtfully after a while, a tinge of sadness in his eyes which gave her pause. “A better person than me, I mean.”</p><p>Love surged inside her at hearing his words. He had always appeared like a man always fully in control, of himself and of his own emotions, but before her there was a totally different man. More then once a sad light had clouded his dark eyes, and the same had happened with many other negative emotions. She wasn’t self-confident at all, but it appeared that he wasn’t either. It was all for show.</p><p>“You were perfect;” she breathed touching his cheek gently and fastening her mouth to his in a slow and deliberate kiss. Her hair went to tingle his face, but he didn’t pull away, savouring the moment. “And I couldn't have asked for more.”</p><p>“Thank you...”</p><p>“Why did you do this with me?”</p><p>“I - I have wasted all my life, Hermione.” He stammered, then took a breath and carried on talking. “I have never really lived and now I would like to do it. However, I am aware I'm going to end up in Azkaban so... I've not much time left and I wanted to be with you, just once. I know I have never made any move towards you since I have arrived here at Grimmauld, but I am a difficult man and there are issues I’m still coping with.”</p><p>He was so earnest in his declaration and so sad about his situation that anger suddenly filled her lungs. He couldn’t end up in Azkaban, he had done too much for them all and he had always received back nothing but hatred.</p><p>“You are not going to Azkaban.”</p><p>“I am.”</p><p>“Why do you say that?”</p><p>“Because that's where bad people go, and bad I am.”</p><p>“You aren't!” she cried out in frustration. “You saved my life, our life, so many times! And you risked yours in order to bring down Voldemort!”</p><p>“I'm not sure it's going to matter in the end.”</p><p>“I'll do everything in my power to make you a free man, Severus.” She announced, a deep fierceness strong in her voice. “It’s a promise.”</p><p>And they both knew she would really do it.</p><p>He put a gentle hand at the back of her head, lowering her face to his. He studied her for a moment, like he wanted to ingrain in his mind every single feature of her beautiful face, then kissed her with a reverence she had never experienced before. She felt complete and broken at the same time. Her tongue caressed his in a languid dance which left them both excited and subdued.</p><p>They had found a piece of their heart and they knew that. He, in an amazing girl who could turn upside down the world if she only wished to, and that had mesmerised him. She, in a man who was both black and white, exactly like piano keys; and to play beautiful music with him you had to know which keys are the right ones.</p><p>They made love again that night, and the morning after; in fact, many other times in the days that followed. They got to know each other better, to talk and read and play the piano together. They joined forces in finding a way to bring her parent’s memories back and made an appearance at Severus’ trial next to each other. They went through it together and won it. He was finally a free man and they celebrated dining at a nice restaurant in central London, not in the least bothered by the other wizards and witches’ stares. They went to Australia and met Hermione’s parents and told them everything that had happened when they finally were able to remember and hug their only child.</p><p>They lived their life like every couple did. With love.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi there!</p><p>this one-shot came totally unexpected and I love it. It's the first time I write something directly in English (which is not my native language) and not translate it from Italian so please, don't be too cruel with me!hahahha I love all of you.<br/>Please let me know what you think about it!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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